Page 64 of The Demon Prince

“Are spirits born?”

Spite turned slightly, the long wisps of its body falling over the windowsill like trailing water. “No. We can be created if there is a sizeable amount of one emotion in one area. Like a blast of feeling. It takes a lot of human emotion to create one of us. But it happens.”

“And you were created as Spite? That’s hard for me to imagine a large group of people who all felt that at the same time.” What would have caused that? She knew little about the kingdom’s history. So few people had any chance of schooling in Gluttony’s kingdom, let alone the time to study history or art. Katherine had been thrown into working at the almshouse when she was very little. And that’s where she had stayed.

Spite curled in on itself a little tighter. “I wasn’t born as Spite,” it muttered. “But I turned into this all the same.”

Her mother had spoken of that before. That spirits, if compressed, could turn into something else.

“Do you remember what you once were?” she asked.

“No.”

“Do you think you could ever go back to it?”

“Not if I don’t remember what it was,” Spite hissed. “What are you trying to do, human? I’m not interested in changing and you don’t really want to see me change. I am what I am, and that’s not going to change any time soon. So stop trying to manipulate me.”

“I was just trying to help.” And Katherine had gotten quite used to Spite’s little outbursts lately. For all that the spirit blustered, it was turning lighter and lighter gray. The longer she was around it, actually.

“I don’t want your help.” It rolled off the windowsill and made a frustrated little noise. “Now get out of this damned room! Go do something.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know! Help Gluttony. He’s been throwing things in the lab for hours now, and I don’t know what’s going wrong with that stupid alchemical bullshit that he’s working on.” Spite hesitated at the door and then added, “But it might have something to do with the fact that his brother is still here.”

Katherine’s hands were on the chair arms before she noticed she’d moved. “Envy hasn’t left yet?”

“No, and he’s making your demon king all kinds of angry. Best get on with it. You seem to be the only person who can calm him down.”

And with that, the spirit left. It left her feeling horrible for hiding. Horrible that Gluttony had to face his brother on his own and that she’d fed him to the wolves.

Sighing, she stared up at the ceiling before she nodded firmly. “All right, Katherine. You need to get yourself together.”

So she did. She took a bath, washed her hair, dried it in the best way the curls would let her, and then got dressed in real clothing for the first time in a few days.

Spite had said Gluttony was in his laboratory, so that was where she’d head first. At least she could apologize for her behavior and then ask him about Envy. Together, they might be able to figure out the best steps to get his brother out of the castle.

If Gluttony even wanted to talk with her. She’d handled all of this like a child rather than the grown woman she was.

Tsking, she made quick work of eating up the distance between them. A few nights in that comfortable bed had done wonders for the ache in her hip, although she still had a bit of a limp as she rounded the corner and walked into the lab.

“Gluttony?” she called out as she strode in. Her skirts tangled between her legs, hanging her up for a second as she paused a few steps inside. “Are you in here?”

“He’s not.”

The door shut behind her. And she had the horrible feeling that she’d just walked into a trap.

Frowning, Katherine turned to see Envy leaning against the wall on the other side of the door.

“What are you still doing here?” she asked.

He looked far too comfortable leaning against that wall, and far too large. Katherine had never once looked at another person and been concerned for her own well being as much as she was when she stood in front of Envy. He was massive, tall and broad, and a little too watchful. His eyes trailed over her, seeing far too much.

And after his perusal, she felt lacking.

He leveraged himself off the wall and walked toward her, arms still crossed over his chest. “What am I doing here? I’m his brother. I can come and visit whenever I wish.”

“I don’t think he really wants you here.”

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